Studying mindfulness for just eight weeks significantly enhances employee wellbeing, new academic research has revealed.
Participants in the study reported experiencing less stress and more life satisfaction after such training, researchers from the University of Sheffield and the Health and Safety Laboratory have discovered.
The academic paper, “Mindfulness training and employee well-being” was published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management.
Those who took part attended free on-site mindfulness training workshops in their workplace, and were set meditation homework to complete on their own between sessions. As well as taking part in hands-on sessions, they were given presentations about the physiology of stress applying mindfulness skills to communications situations.
Some 75 per cent were of the belief that the skills the training taught them were useful in the workplace, with improved concentration, better interpersonal skills and lower anxiety
“When I do get stressed or get in confrontational situations I think I’m able to cope significantly better now,” one of the participants is reported as saying – while others pointed to an increase in work-life balance due to a reduction in office stress.
“This study contributes to the increasing body of evidence on the effectiveness of mindfulness training for employees who wish to enhance their wellbeing and concentration at work,” wrote the academics. “The findings of this study are encouraging and provide support for the use of it in a work setting.”
British workers and entrepreneurs have displayed a healthy appetite for wellness training in recent years. Additional research carried out by online marketplace Udemy in 2015 revealed that mindfulness courses were the most popular self-development training on the platform, making it into the top ten alongside technical skills like web development, coding and photography.
Want to help your employees embrace mindfulness? Check out this guide from our resident health expert Nicola Green.
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